The Dark Knight Rises

The Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy comes to a close with the ambitious but somewhat flawed The Dark Knight Rises. Gotham finally meets it's reckoning in an epic finale that I actually found I enjoyed much more seeing it a second time and for the first time since it's theatrical release.

It's been eight long years since The Dark Knight and Gotham has mostly prospered in that time. Crime is low and the Batman has not been seen since the night Harvey Dent died. Dent is hailed as a hero, his vengeance driven crimes for the death of Rachel and his scarring were instead blamed on the Batman and Dent is a celebrated hero in Gotham. But Commissioner Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) has a heavy heart, weighed down by the guilt he feels over letting Batman take the blame. Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale), is living as a recluse in Wayne Manor, rarely seen by anyone but Alfred (played by Michael Caine). One night, during a charity event at the Manor, he stumbles on a woman named Selina Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway), who is snooping where she does not belong. Dressed as a maid, Bruce quickly deduces that she is in fact a thief, but allows her to escape. He realizes that in addition to his mother's pearls, she also stole his fingerprints off the vault keypad. She intended to sell them in exchange for a computer program that would erase her criminal record. The deal goes south and the men she was dealing with escape with Wayne's fingerprints. Turns out, they were needed to help pull off a raid at the Gotham Stock Exchange perpetrated by a group led by a real monster of a man named Bane (played by Tom Hardy). Bane is a mercenary for hire and former member of the League of Shadows. He is determined to finish what Ra's Al Ghul started. Step one, through a series of investments bankrupts Wayne Enterprises, allowing him to use his corporate cronies to gain control of the company and more importantly a nuclear fusion energy source Bruce Wayne had been working on. This energy source, if used incorrectly, could be used as a bomb with a blast radius of six miles. Using this device along with his own private army, Bane takes Gotham hostage. Now, Bruce Wayne needs to suit up for one last fight to face his toughest adversary, a man stronger and nastier than any he has encountered previously. 

That is just the broadest possible plot synopsis. There is a lot of things going on in this movie and I actually really rather dug the film as I watched it a second time. When I saw it in the theatre when it was first released, I think I was expecting a different movie. This movie is very much a sprawling epic. The scope is huge, dealing with the idea of someone taking over and essentially ruling a city that he allows to throw itself into chaos as he allows criminals to run rampant, patiently waiting for his bomb to go off. Bane was always an interesting choice of a villain for the closing chapter because in the comics he has always been a lesser villain. But it works and he turns out to be a worthy adversary for Bruce, brought wonderfully and frighteningly to life by a barely recognizable Tom Hardy. Bruce on the other hand has a nice character arc as he once again dons the cape and cowl even though at different points in the film both Selina and Alfred, who has always felt protective towards Bruce as if he were his own son, tell him he doesn't have to. It come down to does he do it because he feels it's his duty or has it come to a point where he is really enjoying it and wants to? Honestly, I think it's a bit of both. I also loved Selina Kyle being portrayed as a criminal trying to go straight and becomes an unlikely ally to Batman. I also liked the addition of young patrolman Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who Gordon takes a shine to. 

The performances across the board are stellar as always. Christian Bale is relaxed and comfortable, giving a great performance as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Likewise, Anne Hathway makes a great foil for him that their interplay was some of the highlights for me. Gary Oldman was great as well as Jim Gordon, the moral compass of Gotham PD, as was Joseph Gordon Levitt as Blake, a young patrolman who becomes a protege to Gordon. Michael Caine is the film's MVP though, making the most of his few scenes as his practically begs Bruce not to put on the cape and cowl again, voicing his fears that he won't survive another go as the Batman. It's an absolutely fantastic performance. 

Christopher Nolan once again directs the film with an assured style, beautifully capturing both the big action sequences and smaller character moments. He shot a large chunk of the film in the IMAX format and the results are visually stunning to match the strong and ambitious storyline. He also wrote the film along with his brother Jonathan and the two crafted an impressive finale for their tale. There are a couple of nagging plot holes in the film that kind of make the film feel a little flawed. For example, I sure would love to know how Bruce Wayne managed to sneak back into Gotham after it was taken over by Bane and his gang. Hans Zimmer returns to score this film and once again turns in another magnificent score. What can I say, I just love that thumping Batman theme and it gets me going every time I hear it.          

Aside from a few nitpicks here and there, The Dark Knight Rises is a fitting end to a remarkable trilogy of Batman movies, unique entirely to themselves. While I wouldn't say it is better than The Dark Knight, it's still a fantastic piece of entertainment and they're not taking themselves quite as seriously this time either. So it has that going for it, which is nice.